January 2008
Wednesday January 30, 2008
Posted by: eyoung at 8:01AM CST on January 30, 2008
Just when I think I've got my work life and home life perfectly in balance, it gets really, really cold outside and there's no school. Which throws my husband and I into 6:30 a.m. negotiations: "I'll work this morning and you can work this afternoon." "Well, I've got a meeting this morning, but I can take them from 11 to 2." "Oh wait, I've got appointments at 10:30 and 2:30, and then all afternoon, but I can watch them until 10?" "Alright, I'll take them from 10 to 5 and then work again tonight." "Deal." We're lucky because I have a flexible job -- but it certainly throws a wrench into the work week. Shuffling appointments, canceling interviews, changing meetings. If you're a working parent, what do you do on snowdays? Are you blessed with a flexible boss, a stay-at-home spouse, or just a really great supply of last-minute baby-sitters?
Friday January 25, 2008
Posted by: eyoung at 9:07AM CST on January 25, 2008
Today is Fun at Work Day, according to calendars that keep track of such things. Is your workplace fun? Why or why not? A quick Internet search found these ideas for incorporating a little silliness into your workday, but we’re sure our loyal bloggers can come up with some better ones. What do you do to have fun at work? And what would you do if you couldn’t get fired for it? • Have toys at your desk. Impromptu play meetings can lead to good ideas. • As often as possible, skip rather than walk. • Reply to everything someone says with, “That’s what you think.” • Encourage your coworkers to join you in a little synchronized chair dancing. • Stop taking yourself so seriously. Are you really that important? Really? • Stop being busy. Too many people think that if you’re not constantly busy, you’re not pulling your weight. Busy is not the same as productive. • Flowers for the hour. Give a colleague a bouquet for one hour. After that hour, they pass it to someone else, and so on. • Put mosquito netting around your cubicle. Play a tape of jungle sounds all day.Sources: ewin.com, LifeHack.org, SlowLeadership.org, http://business.timesonline.co.uk Friday January 18, 2008
Posted by: eyoung at 11:16AM CST on January 18, 2008
Last week we asked in the WorkLife weblog about your worst job ever. This week, let's be more positive. What's the best job you ever had? While I was in college, I babysat for some families in the wealthier suburbs of Chicago. When they'd go out of town on fancy vacations, many would ask me to house sit. The money was really good, but even better? I'd get out of my grungy dorm or crowded apartment for a week, eat from a well-stocked fridge in a gourmet kitchen, and sleep on luxury sheets in a glamorous guest room. Some even let me use their cars to get back and forth to campus. When they returned, they'd pay me for a job well done, when really I felt like I'd had a luxury vacation. I don't know if it was the *best* job I ever had (not a lot of career potential), but it was certainly a good gig. How about you?
Wednesday January 9, 2008
Posted by: eyoung at 9:50AM CST on January 9, 2008
In Sunday's WorkLife section, we''ll have a story by The Washington Post in which celebs share stories of their worst jobs. Here's one from Leslie David Baker, who plays Stanley on "The Office": "When I was in high school, I worked at an amusement park operating a roller coaster, out in the blistering heat all day. ... Some street gang came in one day and decided they wanted to take over the amusement park. I showed them how to work the roller coaster and I got in the car and went home." What was the worst job you ever had? Thursday January 3, 2008
Posted by: eyoung at 11:13AM CST on January 3, 2008
You're coughing. You're sneezing. You've got a fever or a sore throat. Do you call in sick to work, or do you tough it out? This was a topic on NPR's Talk of the Nation Wednesday afternoon. The show featured Michael Smith, chief medical editor for WebMD, talking about when it's best to call in sick. One caller told listeners that at his workplace, employees must have a doctor's note. What's the attitude at your office: Are people encouraged to stay home to rest or pressured to battle through it? Are ill colleagues spreading their germs, or at minimum, disrupting your concentration will all of their moaning and groaning? |
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